Multi-sensor baby care monitoring system

ABSTRACT

A multi-sensor baby care monitoring system includes a wetness sensor configured to generate a first signal relating to an occurrence of a wetness event relative to a wetness containment device, such as a diaper. The monitoring system further includes a human life sensor configured to generate a second signal relating to a presence or absence of a human relative to the wetness containment device. If desired, a system controller may be used for receiving the first and second signals and generating data associated with the wetness event and the presence or absence of said human.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of priority from InternationalApplication Ser. No. PCT/US03/37887, filed Nov. 24, 2003, which claimsbenefit of priority from U.S. Ser. No. 10/306,961, filed Nov. 29, 2002,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,870,479, which claims benefit of priority from U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/337,189, filed Dec. 1, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a wetness monitoring system,and in particular, to a wetness monitoring system that permitsqualitative assessment of provided care.

2. Description of the Related Art

An assortment of wetness detecting systems and associated devices havebeen previously proposed and implemented to monitor the condition of adiaper, bedding, adult incontinence brief, and other similar articles.The general principle of many wetness detection systems is to implementsome sort of urine or wetness detector in cooperation with a display oralarm device. Some systems activate an audible or visible alarm toindicate the presence of urine within the diaper. This is typicallyaccomplished by the detection of some threshold wetness level within adiaper.

Concerned parents have increasingly desired to know whether or not theirinfant or infirm adult has been subjected to excessive time in a wetdiaper, for example, because of a dilatory caregiver. This informationit often helpful to permit a parent or guardian, for example, toqualitatively assess care provided by a caregiver to an infant or infirmadult. In an apparent response to these needs, some systems purport totrack and record the timing and frequency of urinating events andassociated diaper changes.

A common problem encountered by many existing wetness detector systemsis a susceptibility to system tampering and data manipulation by a lessthan scrupulous caregiver. For example, some systems may be easilydisconnected from the infant's diaper and simply tossed aside by acaregiver in anticipation of improper or negligent care.

While there have been some attempts at implementing wetness monitoringsystems that permit qualitative assessment of care provided by acaregiver, for example, these attempts have met with varying levels ofsuccess and improvement is still needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A monitoring system according to one embodiment includes a wetnesssensor configured to generate a first signal relating to an occurrenceof a wetness event relative to a wetness containment device, such as adiaper. The monitoring system further includes a human life sensorconfigured to generate a second signal relating to a presence or absenceof a human relative to the wetness containment device. If desired, asystem controller may be used for receiving the first and second signalsand generating data associated with the wetness event and the presenceor absence of said human.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent upon consideration of the followingdescription of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate likeparts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 1C is a block diagram showing another alternative embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing exemplary operations for implementing apersonal care monitoring system according to some embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams showing some of the manyconfigurations possible for implementing the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are more detailed views of possible sensorimplementations according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a monitoring system having several integratedfeatures in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing one of the many configurations possible forimplementing a display unit in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an example of the types of data that may be acquired andprovided in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary monitoring unitin accordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are perspective views showing, respectively, partiallyassembled and assembled views of the exemplary monitoring unit of FIG.8; and

FIGS. 10A through 10C are top, front, and side views, respectively, ofan assembled monitoring unit of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description of preferred embodiments, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which showby way of illustration, specific embodiments of the invention. It is tobe understood by those of working skill in this technological field thatother embodiments may be utilized, and structural, electrical, as wellas procedural changes may be made without departing from the scope ofthe present invention.

The terms “wetness” and “wetness event” are to be understood asincluding human urination, defecation, and other bodily dischargeevents. Furthermore, the term “diaper” as used herein refers todisposable and reusable devices which absorb and contain a wetness eventand may include diapers, pants-type diapers, training pants, and adultincontinence briefs which are widely used in the care of infants,toddlers, and incontinent adults.

It is to be understood that a personal care monitoring system andassociated methods of the present invention are applicable to a widevariety of situations where the qualitative monitoring of provided careis desired. Although several implementations will be discussed in thecontext of the invention configured with an infant diaper, it will beappreciated that slight modifications of the system may make it evenmore applicable to other systems and care giving situations without theneed of inventive faculty.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of one embodiment of thepresent invention is shown and generally designated 10. As shown,monitoring system 10 generally includes a monitoring unit 15 and asensor unit 20. Control of some or all of the monitoring and sensorunits 15, 20 may be provided by an appropriate processing device, suchas system controller 25.

System controller 25 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller,application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), embedded processor, orany other suitable control or processing device. Controller 25 istypically configured with appropriate memory for processing, recording,and storing data relating to personal care monitoring of an individual.For example, controller 25 may be configured with internal memory 30 orremovable memory 35, or both. Internal and removable memory 30, 35 maybe any type or combination of any suitable volatile or non-volatilememory device such as random access memory (RAM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory(ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, or other similar memories. Dataobtained in accordance with the invention will be collectively referredto as personal care data, and may be stored using any of thejust-described memory devices using any suitable technique.

The monitoring unit 15 is shown in communication with the sensor unit 20which typically comprises a human life sensor 40 and a wetness sensor45. A sensor port 47 may be used to facilitate an electronic couplingbetween the monitoring and sensor units 15, 20. Typically, the sensorport 47 provides a detachable coupling between components, buthard-wired configurations are possible if so desired. According to someembodiments, the invention may be implemented by positioning sensor unit20 within a diaper (not shown in this Figure), while the monitoring unit15 is attached to the outside of the diaper; however, many otherconfigurations are possible and will be described in more detail herein.

Human life sensor 40 may include any suitable device which can detecthuman presence and/or absence. For example, life sensor 40 may beconfigured as a heat sensor, salinity sensor, heart rate monitor,conductance device, pH measuring device, and the like. Regardless of thetype of sensor implemented, instances of human presence and/or absencerelative to an associated diaper may be ascertained and is useful forimplementing an anti-cheat feature, as will be described in more detailherein.

In general, wetness sensor 45 may include any appropriate deviceoperable with the invention and which can detect a wetness event. Sensorvariations include devices that can detect threshold levels of, forexample, hydrogen ion (OH—), urea, pH, ammonia, and the like. In oneimplementation, the wetness sensor may generate a signal whenever athreshold level of wetness has occurred, thus indicating an occurrenceof a wetness event.

Alternatively, a wetness sensor that generates a continuous signal thatindicates that some threshold level of wetness has not been reached mayalso be used. In this implementation, a wetness event may be detectedwhenever the wetness sensor has not generated a signal for somepredetermined time interval.

Sensors 40 and 45 may be implemented in any of a variety of differentmanners. For instance, these sensors may be formed as a fine wire meshor as one or more discrete sensor devices appropriately placed within oron a diaper. Regardless of which type of sensor design utilized, sensors40 and 45 may be insertable or embedded within an associated diaper. Anembedded sensor configuration is typically utilized in conjunction withdisposable diapers, whereas an insertable design may be used withdisposable, and reusable (e.g., cloth) diapers. Sensors 40 and 45 areshown as discrete components; however, the invention is not so limitedand other designs can be utilized where the functionality of thesesensors is integrated into a single sensor, if desired.

Typically, communication between the monitoring unit 15 and the sensorunit 20 is accomplished via hardwired electrical components. However,some or all of the communications between these components may beaccomplished, if desired, using other signaling technologies such asradio frequencies (RF), infrared (IR), and the like.

Monitoring unit 15 may be optionally configured with any of a variety ofdevices to facilitate the monitoring of personal care. For example, themonitoring unit 15 may include one or more sensory alarms 50, a displayunit 55, and a data port 60. Sensory alarms 50 are typically utilized toalert a caregiver, for example, that a wetness event has occurred.Typical sensory alarms include auditory alarms, visual indicators suchas light-emitting diodes (LED), vibration devices, and the like. Adisplay unit 55 may be utilized to view and recall informationassociated with the personal care of the person (e.g., infant orincontinent adult) utilizing the device. For example, an appropriatedisplay unit 55 may provide the time, frequency, and duration of awetness event, as well as the time and elapsed duration of diaperreplacement. Appropriately configured systems can record and providedata for a number of wetness events, which is useful for monitoringpersonal care over an entire day, week, month, or other desiredmonitoring periods.

In some implementations, the monitoring unit 15 may be configured with asuitable data port 60 to facilitate data communications. The inclusionof a data port 60 enables a user to access and view data obtained duringone or more personal care monitoring periods using an appropriatelyequipped device such a general or specific purpose computer. Data port60 may be formed using any suitable device such as a serial port,universal serial bus (USB), and the like.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention, generally designated 100. Similar to other embodiments,monitoring system 100 generally includes monitoring and sensor units 15,20. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the monitoring unit 15 isconfigured with a transmitter 105 to support wireless communicationsbetween the unit 15 and externally configured components such as sensoryalarms 50 and/or display unit 55. Wireless communication may beaccomplished using any suitable signaling technology (e.g., RF, IR,etc.) The monitoring unit 15 may also be configured with removablememory 35 and/or a data port 60, if desired.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of another alternative embodiment of thepresent invention, generally designated 150. Often, a personal caremonitoring system may be utilized to monitor care provided by acaregiver to an infant or infirm adult. In these instances, it may notbe necessary or even desirable to enable a caregiver an opportunity toview or access data obtained by the system. To accommodate these needs,a monitoring unit 15 may be implemented without an attached orintegrated display unit. In these configurations, the monitoring unit 15may be outfitted with devices, such as removable memory 35 and/or dataport 60, to enable authorized persons (e.g. parents and guardians) anability to view data obtained during one or more personal caremonitoring periods.

FIG. 1C further shows a generalized example of an external displaysystem that may be used in conjunction with monitoring and sensor units15, 20. As shown, the external display system includes a computer 165having a display 55 and optional features such as a memory interface 170and data port 60.

Computer 165 may be any suitable computational device which permitsviewing of data obtained in accordance with the invention. As usedherein, a “computational device” includes, but is not limited to,personal computers (PC) having an operating system such as DOS,Windows™, OS/2™ or Linux™; Macintosh™ computers; computers having JAVA™OS as the operating system; graphical workstations such as the computersof Sun Microsystems™ and Silicon Graphics™, and other computers havingsome version of the UNIX operating system such as AIX™ or SOLARIS™ ofSun Microsystems™; or any other known and available operating system, orany device, including but not limited to: laptops, hand-held computers,personal data assistant (PDA) devices, cellular telephones, any type ofwireless application protocol (WAP) or short message service (SMS)enabled device, and wearable computers of any sort.

Display 55 may be any suitable display device operable with any of thecomputing devices described herein. The optional data port 60 mayinclude any suitable device supporting data communications between themonitoring unit 15 and the computer 165 (e.g., a serial port, universalserial bus (USB), and the like). Similarly, memory interface 170 may beany of a variety of appropriate devices and/or interfaces permittingdata retrieval from removable memory 35.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing exemplary operations for implementing apersonal care monitoring system according to some embodiments of thepresent invention and will be described with occasional reference tosystem 10 shown in FIG. 1A.

By way of example only, the following description of data acquisition inaccordance with the invention will reference the following generalizedscenario. A parent has outfitted their infant with diapers equipped witha personal care monitoring system in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. The parent leaves the infant in the custody of acaregiver who provides care over a period of a single day.

As indicated at Block 200, the system may undergo an initializationprocedure where routine or necessary procedures are executed orperformed as may be required for proper operation. Typical proceduresinclude system checks, memory allocations, initialization of varioussystem settings. In some embodiments, the initialization procedure willverify that a user is authorized to use or access the system. Thisverification operation may utilize, for example, a user pass code orother similar user authentication method.

After initialization, control may flow to a human life detectionoperation, as indicated in Block 205. This operation may be accomplishedusing, for example, the human life sensor 40. If no human life isdetected (e.g., a diaper is not properly placed on the infant), then thetime and occurrence of this event may be recorded in the personal careevent log, for example, and control may flow back to block 205 tocomplete an inner loop that continuously or periodically checks forhuman life. On the other hand, if the presence of human life is detected(e.g., a diaper is appropriately placed on the infant), then the timeand occurrence of this event may be recorded in the personal care eventlog, for example, and control may flow to a wetness event detectionoperation, as indicated in Block 210.

A wetness event detection operation may be accomplished using, forexample, the wetness sensor 45. If a wetness event is not detected, thencontrol may flow back to block 205 to complete an inner loop thatcontinuously or periodically checks for a wetness event, as well as forthe presence of human life (e.g. to detect any instances of diaperremoval prior to detection of a wetness event). On the other hand, if awetness event is detected, then the time and occurrence of this eventmay be recorded in the personal care event log, for example, and controlmay flow to Block 215 where the wetness duration may be tracked (e.g.,the elapsed time that the infant is in contact with a wet diaper). Ifdesired, one or more sensory alarms may also be activated to signal acaregiver of the wetness event.

Tracking the wetness duration is useful to provide parents or guardianswith information as to the amount time their infant remains in a wetdiaper. Excessive time in a wet diaper may indicate an inattentive oreven negligent caregiver.

Control may then flow to a human life detection operation, as indicatedin Block 220. If the presence of human life is detected (e.g., theinfant continues to have a wet diaper), then control may flow back toBlock 215 so that the wetness duration may be continued to be tracked.This operation completes an inner loop that continuously or periodicallychecks for human life. On the other hand, if no human life is detected(e.g., a diaper change is in progress), then the time and occurrence ofthis event may be recorded in the personal care event log, for example,and control may flow to Block 225 where the diaper off duration may betracked (e.g., the elapsed time that the infant does not have a diaper).

Tracking the diaper off duration is useful to provide parents orguardians with information as to the amount time their infant remainswithout a diaper. Excessive time without a diaper may indicate aninattentive or negligent caregiver, or a caregiver who may be attemptingto conceal dilatory actions.

Control may then flow to another human life detection operation, asindicated in Block 230. If no human life is detected (e.g., a “new”diaper has not yet been placed on the infant), then control may flowback to Block 225 where the diaper off duration may be tracked (e.g.,the elapsed time that the infant does not have a diaper). This operationcompletes an inner loop that continuously or periodically checks forhuman life. On the other hand, if the presence of human life is detected(e.g., a diaper is appropriately placed on the infant), then the timeand occurrence of this event may be recorded in the personal care eventlog, for example, and control may flow to Block 205 where thejust-described operations may be repeated. Notably, each iteration ofthe operations shown in this flowchart may be associated with a singlewetness event. Accordingly, data associated with a plurality of wetnessevents may be obtained using the illustrated (or other similar)operations.

It is to be understood that in many embodiments, the system performsperiodic or continuous checks for human life. This feature not onlyenables a parent, for example, to track the changing of the infant'sdiaper, but also provides a mechanism for preventing system tampering ormanipulation by a caregiver attempting to conceal negligent care.

Although the present invention may be implemented using the exemplaryseries of operations shown in FIG. 2, those of ordinary skill in the artwill realize that additional or fewer operations may be performed.Moreover, it is to be understood that the order of operations shown inFIG. 2 is merely exemplary and that no single order of operation isrequired or necessary.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams showing some of the manyconfigurations possible for implementing the present invention. Inparticular, FIG. 3A depicts a disposable or reusable diaper 80 havinghuman life and wetness sensors 40, 45 which are in communication with amonitoring unit 15.

In some embodiments, sensors 40, 45 may be manufactured as low-costdisposable devices, while in other embodiments these sensors arereusable. Similarly, monitoring unit 15 can be fabricated as adisposable or reusable device to accommodate a user's particular need.Because these sensors and monitoring units may be configured tocooperate with disposable and reusable (e.g., cloth) diapers, a widevariety of implementations are possible. Accordingly, the presentinvention may be implemented using any combination ofdisposable/reusable sensors, monitoring units, and diapers.

For example, in a completely disposable implementation, diaper 80 may befabricated having disposable human life and wetness sensors 40, 45, andconfigurable with a disposable monitoring unit 15. In theseconfigurations, the monitoring unit 15 may be attached (or attachable)to the sensors 40, 45 in a manner depicted in FIG. 3A. Alternatively, asshown in FIG. 3B, the monitoring unit 15 may be completely integratedwith the diaper 80. Completely integrated embodiments often includeremovable memory 35 so that personal care data may be retrieved by, forexample, a parent or guardian. Other disposable embodiments includedisposable sensors 40, 45 fabricated as discrete components adaptable toany of variety of diaper types. These implementations are useful whenpersonal care monitoring is desired using readily available,off-the-shelf diapers.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are more detailed views of possible sensorimplementations according to some embodiments of the invention. Forexample, FIG. 4A depicts a diaper 80 configured with a wire mesh wetnesssensor 45. In this example, a human life sensor 40 may be positioned atopposing ends of the diaper 80. Although the wire mesh wetness sensor 45may be disposed on (or integrated within) a portion of the diaper 80,the exact positioning or size of the sensor is not critical to theinvention. For example, FIG. 4B shows still another alternative designwhere the wetness sensor 45 occupies a centralized portion of the diaper80. This centralized portion is often associated with the portion of adiaper most likely to experience a wetness event. It is therefore to beunderstood that the invention may be implemented using any of a varietyof different sensor configurations, sizes, and geometries.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a monitoring system having several integratedfeatures in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.As shown, a monitoring unit 15 generally includes a display unit 55,sensory alarms 50, and a user interface 85. The monitoring unit 15 isshown in communication with diaper 80 and associated human life andwetness sensors 40, 45.

Sensory alarms 50 are shown implemented as a wetness buzzer and light,but additional or fewer sensory alarms may be used as desired. The userinterface 85 may also include any of a variety of useful devices thatpermits or facilitates user/system interaction. Typical user interfacesinclude, for example, facilities enabling one to retrieve person caredata, activate/deactivate the monitoring system, and the like. In someimplementations, a predetermined or user definable pass code may berequired to access one or more functions of the monitoring system.Utilization of a pass code is useful for those who wish to use thesystem to reliably monitor the level of care provided by a caregiver.Since the pass code may be known only to the parent, the caregiver maynot be able to readily access data acquired by the system, thuspreventing system tampering by, for example, a caregiver wishing toconceal improper or negligent care.

FIG. 6 shows one of the many configurations possible for implementingdisplay unit 55 in accordance with the present invention. It is to beunderstood while the illustrated features are representative of typicalimplementations, no particular feature, or configuration of features, isessential or required.

In some embodiments, display unit 55 may generally include a series ofevents 90 and associated data displays 95. The series of events 95relate to events that a user may desire tracking so that personal careof an individual may be monitored or assessed. FIG. 6 provides arepresentative list of the many possible events that may be tracked andmonitored in accordance with the invention, but additional or fewerevents may be tracked if desired.

The base start time may be used to indicate when the monitoring systemhas been activated. An example of system activation may be when care ofan infant is turned over to a caregiver. In this scenario, the parentmay activate the system by, for example, entering a required pass code.As indicated in FIG. 6, the monitoring system was activated at 8:00 A.M.

A wetness indicator may be used to track data associated with one ormore wetness events. For example, it is not uncommon for an infant tohave many wetness events over the course of a typical day. As such, aparent may want to track the quality of care provided by the caregiverfor each of these wetness events. The first wetness event is depicted inthis Figure.

The time of occurrence of a wetness event and when the diaper iseventually changed can also be displayed. In the example, a wetnessevent was detected at 9:15 A.M., and the diaper was changed at 9:35A.M., indicating that the infant remained in a wet diaper for 20minutes. This caregiver replaced the diaper at 9:45 A.M., resulting inthe infant being without a diaper for 10 minutes. Excessive elapsed wettime or excessive diaper off time may indicate negligent care providedby the caregiver.

The display unit 55 may be formed using any suitable display technology(e.g., LCD, LED). In some embodiments, a single display is utilized,while in other embodiments some or all of the events 95 may includeindividual display units. Still further implementations for display unit55 have been described with respect to FIG. 1C.

FIG. 7 is an example of the types of data that may be acquired andprovided in accordance with the invention. This data is referred togenerally as a personal care event log, and may be stored and retrievedusing any of the aforementioned memory devices shown and described inFIGS. 1A-1C.

As depicted in FIG. 7, a personal care event log may include, forexample, data associated with a number of wetness events and associated“diaper off” instances. The personal care event log is shown with datarelating to three separate wetness events, and is capable of supportingdata associated with up to N distinct wetness events. Typically, thepersonal care data log contains wetness event data information relatingto a single day, but may easily be adapted to include data over severalweeks or even months.

As indicated in the event log, the caregiver appeared to be relativelydiligent in providing care to the infant for the first two wetnessevents, but then failed miserably in the third wetness event. Forexample, during the first two wetness events, the infant remained in awet diaper for 20 minutes and 6 minutes, respectively. Thus, it appearsthat the caregiver is proving an acceptable level of care. However,after the third wetness event (11:42 A.M.), the infant remained in wetdiaper for 126 minutes (until 1:48 P.M.), thus indicating negligence andlack of care provided to the infant.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary monitoring unitin accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Monitoring unit 15is shown having upper and lower housings 300, 305 which may be used tocontain an electronics module 310. The electronics module 310 is shownhaving sensor port 47, several sensory alarms 50, a display unit 55, anda user interface 85. Access to the sensor port 47 is facilitated by portcut-outs 320, 325 respectively formed in upper and lower housings 300,305.

Sensory alarms 50 are shown implemented as a wetness alarm and twoindividual LEDs attached to an upper surface of the electronics module310. If desired, auditory holes 315 may be formed in the lower housing305, proximate to the wetness buzzer 50, to facilitate soundpropagation.

The user interface 85 is shown implemented as four discrete buttonsformed on the electronics module 310. Access to the user interface 85,once assembled, may be accomplished via user interface cut-outs 335formed on the upper housing 300. Similarly, LED cut-outs 340 may be usedto expose LED sensory alarms 50. The monitoring unit 15 may be poweredby any suitable power source, such as battery 330. Again, the monitoringunit shown in FIG. 8 is but one example of the many possibleimplementations and embodiments of the invention, and is shown havingmany optional features that are not required or essential.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are perspective views showing, respectively, partiallyassembled and assembled views of the exemplary monitoring unit of FIG.8. In FIG. 9A, the electronics module 310 is shown positioned within thelower housing 305. FIG. 9B depicts the monitoring unit 15 as it mayappear after assembly.

FIGS. 10A through 10C are top, front, and side views, respectively, ofan assembled monitoring unit of FIG. 8. These Figures provide anillustration of the relative relationship of some of the features thatmay be included with the monitoring unit 15. For example, the sensoryalarms 50 (e.g., LEDs), display unit 55, and user interface 85 buttonscan be seen in the top view of FIG. 10A, while the sensor port 47 isviewable in the front view of FIG. 10C.

An appropriately configured personal care monitoring system may beutilized or implemented in a variety of different manners includingchild care facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, private home care,“nanny watch” services, remote monitoring systems, and the like. Thosewho may also benefit from the use of such systems include concernedparents, healthcare industries, medical and hospital organizations, aswell as those providing convalescent and hospice care.

While the invention has been described in detail with reference todisclosed embodiments, various modifications within the scope and spiritof the invention will be apparent to those of working skill in thistechnological field. It is to be appreciated that features describedwith respect to one embodiment typically may be applied to otherembodiments. Therefore, the invention properly is to be construed withreference to the appended claims.

1. A monitoring system, comprising: a wetness sensor configured togenerate a first signal relating to an occurrence of a wetness eventrelative to a wetness containment device; a human life sensor configuredto generate a second signal relating to a presence or absence of a humanrelative to said wetness containment device; and a system controller forreceiving said first and second signals and generating data associatedwith said wetness event and said presence or absence of said human. 2.The monitoring system according to claim 1, said system furthercomprising: a display in communication with said system controller,wherein said display is adapted to display said generated data.
 3. Themonitoring system according to claim 1, said system further comprising:a display adapted to display said generated data; and a wirelesstransmitter in communication with said system controller, wherein saidwireless transmitter facilitates communications between said systemcontroller and said display.
 4. The monitoring system according to claim3, said system further comprising: a sensory alarm responsive to adetection of said wetness event, wherein said wireless transmitterfacilitates communications between said system controller and saidsensory alarm.
 5. The monitoring system according to claim 1, whereinsaid wetness and human life sensors are integrated to form a singlesensor component.
 6. The monitoring system according to claim 1, whereinsaid human life sensor is a sensor selected from the group consisting ofa heat sensor, salinity sensor, heart rate monitor, conductance device,and a pH measuring device.
 7. The monitoring system according to claim1, wherein said wetness sensor is a sensor selected from the groupconsisting of a hydrogen ion sensor, urea sensor, pH measuring device,and an ammonia sensor.
 8. The monitoring system according to claim 1,wherein said wetness and human life sensors are at least partiallyembedded within said wetness containment device.
 9. The monitoringsystem according to claim 1, said system further comprising: a sensoryalarm responsively generating an alarm indicating a detection of saidwetness event.
 10. A monitoring system, comprising: a first sensorconfigured to generate a first signal relating to an occurrence of awetness event relative to a wetness containment device; and a secondsensor configured to generate a second signal relating to a presence orabsence of a human relative to said wetness containment device.
 11. Themonitoring system according to claim 10, said system further comprising:a circuit for receiving said first and second signals, and responsivelygenerating data associated with said wetness event and said presence orabsence of said human.
 12. The monitoring system according to claim 10,said system further comprising: a system controller for receiving saidfirst and second signals, and responsively generating data associatedwith said wetness event and said presence or absence of said human. 13.The monitoring system according to claim 12, said system furthercomprising: a display in communication with said system controller,wherein said display is adapted to display said generated data.
 14. Themonitoring system according to claim 10, wherein said wetness and humanlife sensors are integrated to form a single sensor component.
 15. Adiaper operable with a monitoring system, said monitoring systemcomprising: a wetness sensor configured to generate a first signalrelating to an occurrence of a wetness event occurring within saiddiaper; and a human life sensor configured to generate a second signalrelating to a presence or absence of a human relative to said diaper.16. The diaper according to claim 15, wherein said wetness sensor andsaid human life sensor are detachably connected to said diaper.
 17. Thediaper according to claim 15, wherein said monitoring system furthercomprises: a system controller for receiving said first and secondsignals, and responsively generating data associated with said wetnessevent and said presence or absence of said human.
 18. The diaperaccording to claim 17, wherein said monitoring system further comprises:a monitoring unit in communication with said system controller; andremovable memory associated with said monitoring unit, said removablememory adapted to store data associated with said detected wetnessevents and said presence or absence of said human.
 19. The diaperaccording to claim 17, wherein said monitoring system further comprises:a sensory alarm in communication with said system controller, whereinsaid sensory alarm responsively generates an alarm whenever no presenceof said human relative to said diaper has been detected for a thresholdamount of time.
 20. The diaper according to claim 17, wherein saidmonitoring system further comprises: a display unit in communicationwith said system controller and responsively displays data indicatinginstances in which no presence of human life relative to said diaper hasbeen detected by said human life sensor.